The difference between fighting unarmed and with a bladed weapon was like night and day.
My dagger sliced through the Dungeon lizard's scaled skin like a knife through butter.
As soon as the weapon reached—and cut through—some vital part inside the monster, it exploded into black mist.
A glimmering magic stone dropped to the rocky floor with a sharp click.
I exhaled and crouched down to collect the crystalline treasure.
It was the fifth of its kind I had won since arriving on the third floor of the Dungeon.
My eyes narrowed as I straightened, casting a glance at my surroundings.
The light blue colored walls were stained with the blood of my vanquished foes.
Not for the first time since I left the guild building in the morning, the cold voice of my advisor rang through in my mind.
"Don't get ahead of yourself, Cain. You're improving fast—we wouldn't be here if you didn't—but you're still just a rookie. Your stats are merely I ranked. That is enough to safely explore the first four floors of the dungeon, but that's it."
In accordance with our agreement, I had made sure to pay Rose a visit first thing in the morning.
The moment our eyes locked, the woman had abandoned her spot at the front desk and pushed her pink-haired colleague to take over.
My advisor then guided me up the stairs to her own personal office—and then spent the next hour interrogating me on my plans regarding my incoming Dungeon dive.
When I told her that I intended to go down to the fifth floor, the werewolf's crimson tail had shot upward—as if struck by lightning.
Crack. Crack. Crack
The grating sound of rock tearing alerted me to the birth of a new monster.
My head snapped to the side as the sound repeated itself.
Then again—
and again.
When the monsters were finished spawning, I was surrounded on all sides.
My lips curved as I leaned forward—
and winced when the stinging tear in my legs made itself known again.
It was a pain easily ignored while at rest, but this was the Dungeon, and I was injured.
There would be no rest.
My eyes narrowed.
Sorry, Hestia, but Rose is right.
My advisor had been very clear about how I should handle my Blessing.
"That skill is your greatest advantage. It is an unprecedented ability, comparable to the legendary Deus Ambrosia of the late Zeus Familias level 7 adventurer, Gluttony. If Morsalils can allow you to achieve effects similar to that miraculous skill... you will go far, Cain. Very far. You would be a fool not to use it to its fullest potential."
A faint smile tugged on my lips as I inserted the bloody dagger back into its sheath.
I wonder how her advice would change if she knew the truth about Mosalis.
Would she be like Hestia?
The goddess's voice echoed in my mind.
Please, don't use it again! You don't need it!"
A mere glimpse into my memories was all it took for my goddess to change her mind about the skill.
The Blessing of Death roared to life as I extended my hands toward the snarling group of beasts.
Glowing red eyes burned with hunger and madness.
"Come."
The first to reach me was a lone kobold.
The bipedal monster ran on all fours like an animal in its zeal to tear me apart.
A steady stream of spit leaked from its gaping mouth.
The moment the monster reached me, I twisted my body to the side and, in the same fluid motion, buried my fist into its uncovered stomach.
As always, no magic stone rewarded my efforts.
The lack of financial gain was balanced out by my injured leg healing immediately—and the pleasant thrill that rushed through me.
My smile deepened as I shot that same leg outward to strike the following kobold out of the air.
My foot connected with the monster's furred head, launching it backward.
While I had not recognized its effects too clearly before, the difference the nearly 50 points in my strength made was apparent.
Sharp nails tore into my back, scratching against my bones, as the goblin behind me punished me for my lacking reaction time.
I ignored the monster biting down on my neck.
Instead, I spun and grabbed two of its monstrous siblings out of the air as they lunged at me.
They died at first contact.
The goblin teeth tearing into my neck—as well as the nails clawing at my back—were instantly pushed out of my flesh by the regenerative effects of Morsalis.
Before it had the chance to try again, my arms snapped back over my shoulders and gripped its misshaped green head.
The deafening noise of high-pitched squeals against my ears ceased.
There was no time to celebrate my victory.
The previously disoriented kobold had already regained its wits and crashed into me with its full weight—
faster than I could dodge.
The monster pushed me down to the ground and kept me pinned with its hands on my shoulder.
Foul fluids dripped on my face as it roared, opening its gaping maw.
Before the beast could proceed any further, I slammed my bare hands into its sides.
The weight pressing down on me disappeared.
A quiet moan slipped past my lips as pleasure rushed through me.
Of the five monsters that had attacked me, none remained.
Despite its intensity, the fight could not have taken any longer than a single minute.
As a consequence of my avaricious Blessing, the only proof that it had happened at all were the fresh tears and blood stains on my shirt.
That's another set of clothes ruined…
A groan burst out of me as the pleasurable high reached its end, leaving me numb in its absence.
I lifted myself from the ground and marched down the empty corridor without giving my surroundings a second glance.
According to Rose, the Dungeon was unable to birth any more of its children as long as its walls were damaged.
The next group I came across—were not monsters.
"What do we have here?"
I sized up the trio of adventurers, approaching me from the other side of the tunnel.
Leading them was a human male with balding brown hair and crooked teeth.
Walking behind him were two younger men, with animal ears and tails.
"You look like you're a step away from death, lad," he continued. "How about we help you out a little? Can't let a promising rookie like you struggle all by himself now, can we?"
The group leader traced his eyes from the dagger at my hip to the numerous cuts and bloody spots on my clothes.
His gaze lingered on the bag attached to my side.
I shifted my stance and rested my hand on the pommel of my dagger.
"I'm good."
The adventurer blinked, leaning forward.
"You move well for someone that injured," he said quietly. "Don't tell me…"
He paused, studying me closely.
"It's a potion. And a high-grade one at that? How interesting."
As I held the man's gaze, my advisor's voice echoed in my mind.
"In the Dungeon… other adventurers can be just as much of a threat as monsters. While the laws of the Guild still apply down there… for most, they're guidelines at best. We have no way of enforcing them without proof… and—If nothing else—the Dungeon is very proficient when it comes to getting rid of such proof."
My gaze hardened.
"I have no grievances with you," I said, ruthlessly suppressing the voice in my head that told me that they were acceptable targets for my Blessing.
After all, they couldn't have made their intentions any clearer.
"Leave now, and I will even forgive that look in your eyes."
The demihuman duo bristled.
The shorter one opened his mouth, a snarl on his lips—
and was silenced when their leaders raised his hand.
The man's brown eyes locked with my amber ones.
He searched my face for a drawn out moment, and then nodded curtly.
My expression remained unchanged as my gaze followed their retreating forms.
They passed by me and disappeared around the corner without saying a word.
I clicked my tongue and continued my own trek through the Dungeon.
It was becoming increasingly clear that Rose had not been exaggerating when she delivered her warnings.
"Cain… In this city, there is no resource more precious than trust. Be very careful with whom you share yours. In all my time here, I have met only a few adventurers worthy of mine."
—————
Wheezing breaths burst out of me as I propped my hands on my knees, sweeping my gaze across the ground.
A smile tugged at my lips.
The entire corridor of the 4th floor was littered with magic stones of varying sizes.
After a prolonged period of inaction, the Dungeon had staged an ambush.
Instead of spawning monsters individually from its walls, a mob of them had lain in wait for me, prepared to attack the moment I turned the corner.
Somehow, the Dungeon had anticipated the route I was going to take.
My spine straightened as I raised myself upward, assessing the loot before me.
After this battle, my goal to earn more Valis than I did during my first incursion was fulfilled.
Even after I paid back the price for my dagger, I would still walk away with a good amount of Valis left to call my own.
Naturally, I did not tell Rose about that objective.
According to her, worrying about financial gain at my stage was pointless.
Instead, I should focus all of my attention on Morsalis.
The only reason she even insisted that I use a weapon at all was for defense and to hold my opponents off long enough to then finish them with my Blessing.
There was also the real concern to consider that I would eventually engage a beast that would prove resistant to my skill.
According to Rose, there was no invincible skill in this world.
Even Deus Ambrosia had eventually met its match at the hands of the Goliath.
When I told her about my uncertainty on whether using Morsalis was truly worth it—as long as it destroyed the very magic stones I was after—her response had been as candid as could be.
"Valis will never be as important as your Status. High-level adventurers can earn millions of Valis in a day… Your highest objective must always be to grow stronger. Earning Valis comes as a distant second. If there is something you need that you cannot afford—I will buy it for you."
I huffed quietly and exited my current corridor to advance toward the next part of the expansive fourth floor.
My advisor had not been joking when she said that she went all in on me.
The only conditions she imposed were that I did my best to grow stronger—and that I wouldn't allow myself to die in the Dungeon.
They were conditions I was all too eager to fulfill.
My attention was dragged outward as the sounds of battle I had been ignoring grew louder.
The first six floors were by far the most populated ones in the entire Dungeon.
As a consequence, this wasn't the first time I had come across other adventurer in the midst of battle.
Usually, I did not pay them any mind.
There hadn't yet been a repeat performance of a scene like the one when that human boy died before me.
The adventures I had encountered were able to take care of themselves.
This was different.
Something about the cadence of the sounds drove me to hasten my steps.
The source of the noises became clear as I exited the narrow tunnel.
Illuminated by dim blue light, a fierce battle was being fought.
A battle that served as confirmation that I was not the only victim of monsters attacking in mobs.
A young girl, with white rabbit ears, fought surrounded on all sides.
Her movements were filled with unrestrained savagery.
She slashed apart beast after beast with a gleaming silver axe.
The quantity of monsters attacking her was unlike anything I had encountered before.
While we were close to the entrance of the fifth floor, this amount still should not have been possible on the upper floors.
There were dozens of goblins, kobolds, and lizards hounding the growling rabbit girl.
Despite her fierceness, she was steadily being overwhelmed.
My hand landed heavily on the dagger attached to my hip.
"As you are now, you absolutely cannot use your skill while others are around."
I lunged forward and joined the melee—plunging my blade into the back of the nearest goblin's head.
By the time the monster's magic stone fell to the floor, I was already onto the next.
The girl's movements faltered slightly as our eyes met across the battlefield.
A moment later, a ferocious smirk spread across her face, her attacks redoubling in intensity.
Her movements were sharper—and more controlled—than mine.
The way in which she swung her weapon spoke of actual skill.
It presented a stark contrast with my own fighting style—which relied purely on instinct and brutal efficiency.
When there were no more monsters for us to slay—and I had closed the distance between us—the girl stared up at me with sharp, crimson eyes.
Sweat glistened on her tan skin.
"Your assistance is appreciated, human."
A faint smile spread across my face.
"Human?" I asked. "Is that what you're going to call me?"
The bunny girl huffed, looking away.
"I… my name is Tiara. Who are you?"
I flicked my dagger, splashing away the blood coating it.
Once the weapon was sufficiently clean, I inserted it back into its sheath.
"I'm Cain."
Tiara similarly cleaned off her weapon and strapped the oversized axe to her back.
"I will not forget the aid you have given me today, Cain."
The long ears on her head twitched.
"I am a member of the Isis Familia," she continued, lifting her chin, "and my big sister is the captain."
Her lips curved upward, revealing a set of pearly white teeth.
"She's a level 5 adventurer."
Her gaze sharpened, red eyes gleaming like polished rubies.
"I swear that I will return this favour. If you're ever in need of assistance, I will be there."
I nodded slowly, glancing down at the short girl as she gulped down a golden potion.
"How come you're here all by yourself?" I asked. "That's pretty irresponsible of your sister."
The potion nearly slipped from her hand with how fast she snapped her head toward me.
"She's not irresponsible!" she shouted.
"This is completely normal for a first-class Familias like ours! Adventurers need to go on adventures. How else will I become as strong as her?"
I blinked—
then nodded.
Rose better be prepared to answer my questions tomorrow… Is this how first-class adventurers treat their family?
"I see," I said. "If that's the case… then I accept your offer. Should I ever find myself requiring aid, I will remember Tiara of the Isis Familia—and her mighty big sister."
My lips twitched as my gaze swept across the tunnel.
"However, until that day comes…"
I spread out my arms and gestured toward the many magic stones surrounding us.
"How do we split the loot?"
————-
"That's a good look you have on your face there, boy."
I peered through the gilded grid and met the blue eyes of the guild employee.
It was the same man who had worked behind the counter the last time I was here.
"It's you again," I muttered. "Don't tell me you're the only one they have working this place."
The middle-aged man clicked his tongue.
"Who told you to come here this late in the day? If you wanted to see someone else, you should not come during my shift."
"Is that so?"
I poured the magic stones from my bag into the wooden drawer and pushed it over to the other side.
"The I suppose we'll be seeing a lot more of each other going forward."
I paused, considering the man for a silent moment.
"My name is Cain," I said. "What's yours?"
A snort echoed out through the metallic barrier.
"Boy… I don't think there's a single Guild employee who doesn't know your name by now."
He shook his head.
"Imagine my surprise when I heard that the rookie I was worrying about, was actually the same adventurer who caused our thorny Rose to get all worked up in the morning."
The man chuckled quietly.
"But if you must know, my name is Korus."
I blinked.
That nickname again…
"Well, Korus." A faint smile touched my lips. "I did tell you that you were worried for nothing."
"So you did," he said, nodding.
The wooden drawer slid back to my side of the counter.
There was more Valis placed on it than last time.
"With the cost of the dagger detracted from the total amount, that will be 9635 Valis… You did well."
I hummed quietly and tossed the local currency into my bag.
"While we're already on it," he continued. "That advisor of yours left you a message. Somehow, she knew that you would arrive during my shift."
The man's tone was light.
My gaze shifted away from the few coins still left in the drawer, meeting his.
I arched a brow.
"What did she say?"